Israel commits to ‘put an end to it’

Amman As the conflict in Gaza approaches the end of its first month, Israeli leaders are motivated by a ­simple imperative: exact maximum damage on the Hamas leadership in the finite time before diplomatic consequences outweigh the rewards.

Israel’s deputy foreign minister, ­Tzachi Hanegbi, in an interview with The Australian Financial Review, said Israel had no choice in its response to Hamas provocations.

“We were bombarded with hundreds of rockets, presenting us with two choices," he said. “We could either die smiling or put an end to it.

“I can’t say when the mission will stop. We can’t yield to international pressure until our citizens are safe."

More than 1200 Palestinians have been killed. About 75 per cent of those who have died are civilians.